State of the…
The hall took some time coming to order. Old friends saying hello, moving without hurrying to their places. The same seats every time, which made it easier to spot those choosing not to attend. The speaker waited for good order to be made by the slowly quieting assembly. After all, he had been here the […]
Women with Money: A Winning Combination
Today is March 25th, 2024. I’m writing this piece in my office, watching the pregame commentary for the Iowa Women’s Basketball team before their matchup against West Virginia. Tonight will be Caitlyn Clark’s last home game at Carver Hawkeye Arena, and like a lot of people across the country, I will tune in to watch her team […]
2023… Good Things Came To Those Who Waited
That ended well. Thank goodness. It was a year to be patient. Financial markets struggled to regain ground from the prior year’s losses for much of 2023, swooned in the fall and then came back to make (most) things right during the last quarter – at least for those who held their financial assets the […]
2023… Good Things Came To Those Who Waited
That ended well. Thank goodness. It was a year to be patient. Financial markets struggled to regain ground from the prior year’s losses for much of 2023, swooned in the fall and then came back to make (most) things right during the last quarter – at least for those who held their financial assets the […]
The Bill for Artificially Low Rates Must Be Paid
Decisions were made. Some were reasonable, others less so. With the world’s economy collapsing in the wake of the COVID outbreak and the resulting clampdown on activity, governments flooded their economies with cash while central banks pushed rates as low as possible. It worked: there was no Great Depression of 2020. Then, like addicts, well […]
My American Experience
When I was eight, I found myself at an acreage outside Wilber, Nebraska sitting on a retaining wall peering through the night sky at the moon. It was a warm July night, and upon the surface of the moon inside the Lunar Module Eagle sat Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Shortly, I would be called […]
What is Money?
When Cheryl and I were still in the child rearing phase of our family life, we made time for dinner most every night. Despite a hectic schedule of work, school, soccer, dance and music, the four of us found the time to share the evening meal and some conversation. While still quite young, one of the girls asked […]
Flexibility In Your Financial Plan
Last fall, one of our fence gates collapsed. We had two gates, one on either side of the house, so we took it as a “sign” that one gate was enough, and we stored the dilapidated gate on the other side of the house. I should’ve known we wouldn’t get off that easy, because by the first […]
Troubles in Banking
Here in West Des Moines, at the corner of 19th and Vine is a four way stop. In the mornings it handles traffic heading north to Dowling Catholic High School and west to Valley High School, while east feeds into heavily trafficked Grand Avenue. It’s a busy place, but the only requirement it places upon […]
Investment Advisers – They’re Just Like You and Me
My husband and I have an investment account together that we use for long-term savings. For the most part, it consists of individual stocks of companies we invest in Iowa Wealth Management (IWM) models, the same companies that our clients are invested in. We believe in eating our own cooking! On the rare occasions, we […]